Detroit Tigers' Former No. 1 Overall Pick Makes Rare History of Last Quarter Century

The Detroit Tigers lost 2-1 against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre. Despite the loss, the Tigers are 30-16 and own the top spot in the American League Central entering play on Sunday.

Spencer Torkelson accounted for the only offense in Saturday's loss, going 1-for-3 with a home run, his 12th of the season.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Arizona State, Torkelson is hitting .238 with the 12 homers, 35 RBIs and a .346 on-base percentage. His output has also put him in a rare class of team history over the last quarter century, according to Tigers PR:

Since the start of 2000, just five Tigers have 12+ home runs in the team's first 46 games of a season.

Spencer Torkelson (12, 2025)
Víctor Martínez (12, 2014)
Miguel Cabrera (14, 2013)
Brandon Inge (12, 2009)
Magglio Ordóñez (12, 2007)

It's been an up-and-down career for the 25-year-old Torkelson. He hit 31 homers in 2023 but only played 92 games in 2024, spending some time in Triple-A. He finished with just a .219 average and 10 homers, but appears to have rediscovered some things this year.

Lifetime, he's a .223 hitter with 61 homers.

The Tigers and Blue Jays will play again on Sunday afternoon with first pitch coming at 1:37 p.m. ET. Jackson Jobe will take the ball for Detroit while veteran right-hander Jose Berrios is on the hill for Toronto.

Jobe has gone 3-0 early on with a 4.32 ERA. Berrios is 1-1 with a 4.33.